Independents’ Day is Relocating to Franklinton

The seventh annual Independents’ Day Festival will take place September 19th through 21st, but don’t show up to Gay Street expecting the exciting. The event is relocating to Franklinton for the first time, shifting the action to Lucas Street — a small brick street bordered by 400 West Rich to the south, the new Columbus Idea Foundry to the north, the new Land Grant Brewery to the west and the elevated railroad bridge to the east.

“We thought the move was an opportunity to explore that area of town a little more,” explains 2014 Independents’ Day Captain Shea Scott. “There’s been a big city-wide push to revitalize Franklinton, and there’s already lots of arts organizations and businesses making it happen in the same spirit we’ve seen on Gay Street Downtown.”

Scott says that the layout in Franklinton should be more open and flexible than on Gay Street, allowing for a reconfiguration for music stages, food trucks, and vendor areas.

“We should have more details in May when our artist and vendor applications go live,” she stated. “We can’t wait to see the event grow.”

2014 will mark the second year that Independents’ Day has turned into a three-day festival rather than the original single-day format. This year will have an added emphasis on crafters and businesses on Sunday, and Friday night’s event will possibly serve as more of a pre-party type of night.

Franklinton is already home to similar local art and music festivals including Urban Scrawl and Go West, which typically occur in August and October respectively. Scott doesn’t think Independents Day will clash with those existing efforts though.

“We’ll be working with some of the same people as on those events,” she says. “We’re all about celebrating the independent spirit of Columbus.”

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Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media from a hobby into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.

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Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media from a hobby into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.